Companion Planting

[freefolk]

I was planning on growing my parsnips and carrots together in a bed free from manure (to prevent forking). Some sites say yes and some say no - because of carrot root fly. However.....they are going to be grown in a hoop tunnel covered with fine net curtain. Therefore, should this be OK? I would like to think so.

[bikermike]

I grew parsnips and carrots and leeks and onions in the same bed with a net wall round them.

My second crop of carrots (in the same bed in autumn) look like they have failed. I would guess that this is due to the net wall sinking and the harvesting of leeks etc. So I think Parsnips are OK.

but note that parsnips can grow really big planty bits, so make sure you have a decent height of tunnel (50cm?)

[rary]

If you want to protect plants from vine weevil plant strawberries close to them and the weevil will attack the strawberries

[bramble]

Freefolk A lot of people tend to grow onions and carrots together as the smell of the onions hides and distracts the carrot root fly.
I would still cover them with netting though.

[Jungle Jane]

It should be ok free folk but I wouldn’t mix them together I’d have half carrot,half parsnip bed,because of harvesting carrots & disturbing the parsnip,unless you harvest all at once & store them in sand in the shed or whatever you want to do

[Jungle Jane]

I grew parsnips and carrots and leeks and onions in the same bed with a net wall round them.

My second crop of carrots (in the same bed in autumn) look like they have failed. I would guess that this is due to the net wall sinking and the harvesting of leeks etc. So I think Parsnips are OK.

but note that parsnips can grow really big planty bits, so make sure you have a decent height of tunnel (50cm?)

Do you think the second crop of carrots didn’t do as well because they were in the same soil as the last carrots & crop rotation,soil lacking nutrients etc?

[Penellype]

I tried to grow a row of parsnips next to a row of carrots and the parsnips completely swamped the carrots, even though I thought I had left loads of room. From my experience of trying to net parsnips this year you will need about a 1m high net - my 2ft (600mm) high cover was lifted clean off the ground by the foliage.

Otherwise, yes you can grow them under the same net, just give the parsnips far, far more space than you think they will need to spread their leaves out!

[Jungle Jane]

My parsnip foliage was quite small but so was the parsnip if you remember my tiny parsnips lol! I didn’t know they grow that tall,thats going to make them difficult to cover mixed in with my peas & beans,I think I won’t cover them maybe

[burnie]

I grow carrots and parsnips in the same bed, slugs eating the tops is the only problem I've had.

[chris_m]

Best parsnips I grew last year were a late sowing direct sown in a dustbin of compost as a test.
The worst were the ones I made the mistake of buying as seedlings and transplanting - I've never seen a better cat's cradle then those roots ;-)

It'll be the dustbin again this year.

[Snadger]

Their have been books written on companion planting of herbs,flowers,fruit and veg.

What I grow doesn't read books though, so i just mix every thing up as nature intended!

Cripes, Im beginning to sound like VC now, .................where's my medication!

[veggiechicken]

Its the Row planters who need medication, not us, Snadge.

[bikermike]

Do you think the second crop of carrots didn’t do as well because they were in the same soil as the last carrots & crop rotation,soil lacking nutrients etc?

It's certainly possible, they seem to have disappeared rather than not grown very well. what are the symptoms of lack of nutrient? I'd expect them to grow slowly. But I will give the soil some more mulch before planting this year. (It'll get peas and beans in anyway, so should be improved by that)

[freefolk]

Thank you for the replies as always. They will be grown down the centre of a netted hoop approx 90cm in the centre. Carrots planted to the side. Planting is East-West on a South facing plot, so shade not an issue. I will update later in the season.